1. Consumer writes a review

Great customer reviews describe the overall experience in a way that’s helpful to readers of reviews on Trustpilot, and useful to the company reviewed. Honest reviews that set out the facts, provide details, and comment on the level of customer service are most valuable.

Reviewers should leave out personal information (such as names of people), links to other companies and URLs, and anything offensive - such as accusatory statements and coarse language. These are not permitted on Trustpilot (see our Guidelines for Reviewers or our quick guide to the guidelines here).

2. Reviews are shown chronologically

Trustpilot displays reviews chronologically, with the most recent review at the top.

We don't monitor reviews as they come in, they're not manually moderated or censored before being published. Once posted, reviews are instantly visible to everyone. That also means that businesses can’t delay the publication of reviews by their customers.

When a review is published, the business that’s been reviewed has the opportunity to see it, reply to it and engage in dialogue. It’s this open conversation that gives them the opportunity to learn how to improve their services.

3. Genuine reviews stay on Trustpilot

Most reviewers have good intentions and respect our rules. Their reviews stay on Trustpilot for our online review community to read and learn from.

Reviews also stay online when companies change ownership. We don’t delete reviews or company profile pages on Trustpilot if a business is taken over by new owners. But those new owners are able to reply to reviews and let reviewers know about the business's change of hands.

4. Everyone can flag problematic reviews

We know there's a small minority who try to post fake reviews on Trustpilot. But we also recognize the power of an entire community in stamping out abuse.

We take instances of fraud or misuse of our platform seriously and have tools in place* for weeding out non-genuine or problematic reviews. Such reviews can be flagged by our customized software, another Trustpilot user, or the company who was reviewed. Our Content Integrity Team will then investigate and take appropriate action.

If a company doesn't recognize a reviewer, and the review was not posted in response to an invitation sent out by Trustpilot's invitation system, the company can use our Find Reviewer tool to ask for more information about the reviewer or their experience.

5. Reported reviews can be reinstated if the highlighted problems are addressed

Reports of non-compliant reviews are investigated by Trustpilot’s Content Integrity Team. If the reported problems can be addressed, the review’s author will be asked to edit their review to bring it in line with Trustpilot’s guidelines.

If the company being reviewed disputes that the reviewer has had a genuine experience with their business, the reviewer can provide Trustpilot with documentation that shows their experience to verify their review. Note that Trustpilot treats all reported reviews equally, regardless of whether they’re positive and negative.

Reviews that have been removed pending investigation can be put back online if they're edited to address the problems identified so that they comply with Trustpilot’s guidelines. They’ll be visible to the community immediately.

6. Reviews may be removed under specific circumstances

Non-compliant reviews that have been flagged or reported but not edited by their authors — and continue to violate Trustpilot’s guidelines — will be removed from our platform. They will no longer count towards a business's star rating or TrustScore.

Reviews that are removed are not deleted, but will remain offline until and unless the outstanding problems can be resolved. We’re always able to reinstate reviews if their authors come back to us at a later date.

7. Reviews can be updated

Reviewers are welcome to update their reviews to add details of their most recent transactions or reflect a changed opinion of the company. If they've had a new buying or service experience, reviewers can also leave a new review of the same company (read more about multiple reviews here).

8. The journey continues

Reviews remain on Trustpilot in the order they’ve been posted. This gives consumers the chance to make better choices, and businesses the opportunity to listen to, engage with and learn from their customers.

*Note: Trustpilot uses automated and manual processes to protect the integrity of our platform. They include sophisticated detection software that operate 24/7 to identify and remove reviews deemed false. Reviewers are notified if their reviews are removed from Trustpilot.